ANALYSIS OF THE PROMOTION OF THE HISTORIC CENTER OF MANAUS IN THE CITY'S PRINTED TOURIST GUIDES

This article investigates the tourist promotion of the Historic Center of Manaus through the city's printed tourist guides. This analysis was prompted by a lack of promotional materials on the oldest central area of the city, whether in printed and digital media. Yet this is the locality with the highest concentration of cultural tourist attractions in Manaus, and it recognized through patrimonial protection at federal, state and municipal levels. The study analyzes the city's tourist guides, and their relationship with the tourism promotion of its historic center. Nine tourist guides were used, from different years, to determine whether they met the needs presented. The consultation of the guides characterizes the research as documentary, since the material was not submitted to analytical treatment. It is also defined as bibliographic, due to the construction of the theoretical contribution. The results demonstrated that the tourist promotion of the Historic Center of Manaus is insufficient in the guides consulted. In order to promote the area in question, the development of a tourist guide to the city’s oldest quarter is proposed, to be produced in both printed and digital formats, due to its historical importance and significant attractiveness in forming the image of Manaus as a tourist destination, qualified experience of visitors as well as the influence of the experience on the choice of tourist. Aceito 30/Mai/2019 Publicado 16/Set/2019 Licenciada em Letras Francês Turismóloga Universidade Estadual do Amazonas sso.tur@uea.edu.br Doutoranda em Turismo e Hotelaria Universidade Estadual do Amazonas Turismóloga Universidade Estadual do Amazonas Turismóloga Universidade Estadual do Amazonas DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14210/at.v4n3.p32-46 PALAVRAS-CHAVE Promotion Historical Center of Manaus Tourist Guide Artigo Científico


Introduction
Historical areas of cities are an important part of the tourist offer. Often attractive, these localities are known by various expressions, such as such as historical quarter, historical center, and old center, among others. They are places that consist mostly of built historical heritage that is related to the origin of the place and to the period of economic wealth that led to their construction. Beni (1998, p.278) describes these sites of historical relevance as "areas that, for historical and/or artistic reasons, represent important testimonies to national, regional or local culture." Boullón (2002), Ignarra (2003) and Dias (2003) consider tourist attractions as raw material for tourism, because it is from these that a range of services integrated with trade and associated with tourism begin to exist. Therefore, cities that have historical characteristics present great potential for the development of cultural tourism, due to their set of attractions, giving rise to services and equipment that complete the tourist offer.
Therefore, it is important to develop the tourist promotion of these places, because working with strategies to promote historic centers increases the potential attractiveness of the place, attracting more visitors and investments. It is also important to be attentive to the sustainable planning of activities, ensuring economic, social and environmental development.
In order to foster tourism development and facilitate the movement and stay visitors, and seeking to publicize destinations and their respective offers, tourist guides provide even greater freedom in the choice of what attracting to see, acting as a form of communication. Zillinger (2004, p.03) states that "over time, guidebooks have influenced tourists both in the choice of destination and in the choice of attractions to be visited." The travel experience becomes more personalized, establishing greater interaction between the place and those who visit it. The tourist guide acts as a source of consultation to plan the trip and the tourist's stay in the place, besides being a tool for tourist promotion. Murta & Goodey (2002, p.23) emphasize that "leaflets, information boards, maps and illustra-ted guides, aimed at both local residents and visitors, are essential".
Given the above, this article discusses an analysis of the promotion of the Historic Center of Manaus in the city's tourist guides. This investigation was prompted by the observation that the central historical area does not have printed or digital material dedicated exclusively to its tourism promotion. Therefore, this work sought to verify, in the printed tourist guides of Manaus published in different years, if they met this need.
As of the time of research, no more recent printed guide had been produced, whether of the historical center or of the city as a whole.
The Historic Center of Manaus is the locality that pre-  According to Gândara (2008), promoting the image of a location is an essential part of the marketing strategy for any tourist destination. This process is important because of the perception generated in the tourist about the most diverse destinations that they intend to visit, influencing their decision-making. "It is noted that a tourism location cannot be transported to the consumer, therefore the consumer must be attracted to the place", state Marujo & Cravidão (2012, p.285).
In this sense, Sebastião (2016) reinforces that the use of marketing strategies makes it possible to strengthen the communication between the destination and the visitor, and when well used, it contributes to the dissemination, knowledge and raising awareness of information about the tourist service, affirming the importance of integrated marketing communication, as the most effective way to attract visitors to the place.
Among several possibilities, one way to advertise the destination or attractions is through advertising, Kotler & Keller (2006) mention advertising as a means to build a lasting image of a tourist destination, as well as having a positive influence on its marketing, due to the communication it conveys. According to Ruschmann (2003, p. 70), "tourist advertising is considered an activity that influences and strives to persuade and make people accustomed to travel, proposing reasons to them that will create in them the desire to visit a certain place".
However, to reach a certain audience, marketing makes use of several media to promote a tourist destination, creating a link between the place and the tourist and showing all that can be found, explored and experienced there. Tojal (2014, p.371) emphasizes that "communication thus becomes the privileged vehicle for building the brand image of a tourism product in the mind of the potential consumer, and the printed media is one of the main channels for disseminating the image of a place". Kotler & Keller (2006) highlight that one of the most popular media used to publicize tourist destinations is local brochures, which are widely used companies and the public sector to disseminate information about the attractiveness of the place. Some of the materials that make up the promotional brochure include guides and tourist maps, pamphlets, posters, folders, postcards, and magazines, among others, whose primary function is to present the location by distributing promotional material, says Vaz (2001).
Although the use of digital media for tourism promotion is on the increase, Tojal (2014, p.371) reinforces that "the role of small scattered communication objects, commonly known as leaflets or pamphlets, continues to be relevant in building the image of places that want to make themselves known to tourists". Given this relevance, the printed media has its value according to the objective to be achieved. This does not rule out the importance of digital media, but it is understood that there is room for both types of media in integrated tourism promotion. Whatever marketing means are chosen to promote the destination, it should be mentioned that it is not only limited to advertising and sales but goes beyond that, focusing on ensuring customer satisfaction and creating a smooth, natural sales process that requires minimal effort, as stated by Kotler & Keller  Also according to Brown & Chalmers (2003), the importance of travel guides has an effect before, during and after a trip. Before the trip, they whet the appetite for a destination i.e. it gives information about what is available. During the trip, it makes use of the same information, giving the tourist options and flexibility, and information that may be useful in the event of unforeseen occurrences. After the trip, the guide may be used by the tourist when recounting their experiences to others; it may be passed on to others, becoming a tool in word-of-mouth marketing and creating an interest in others for the same destination. Brilhante (2013, p.44) adds that "besides word of mouth and travel guides, a third actor appears; the Internet, which ends up increasing these first two sources". Kosaka (2009, p.10) points out that "the changes in society, the search for increasingly individualized products and the ease of traveling more independently in the era of globalization are driving the growth of this segment (independent travelers)," since access to online information is available to everyone. However, high street travel agencies continue to operate, and many consumers prefer to use their services when planning trips. But with new technology, everything can be accessed with just one click it is possible to access everything, the independent tourist appears, states Brilhante (2013).
Although the Internet facilitates the dissemination of information, the sources are not always secure and reliable, which is an advantage of printed tour guides, the content of which can also be made available digitally. Therefore, both options, printed and digital, exert a significant influence on decision making: What to do? When to do it? And where to do it? Nova (2008) points out that the printed guide works as a bridge that connects the visitor to the locality. It is important to elaborate tourist guides for localities that still do not have them, as these are essential for independent tourists, who tend to purchase a guide as soon as they arrive at their destination. According to the authors Hyde & Lawson (2003, p.15) the characteristics of independent travelers are: -The main motivation of the independent traveler is the pleasure of living unplanned experiences in detail; (2006). Thus, the tourist guide is also understood as a strategy to promote the destination, because it highlights the potential of the location and also acts as a tool for communication with the visitor, in which the sender of the message are the official tourism agencies or the private initiative. It is also seen as "a proposal to travel outside the place of habitual residence, structured through resources, to which tourist services are incorporated: transportation, accommodation, travel guides, food services, etc." according to Embratur, in the Aquarela Plan (2003. Monsú (2013, p.34) emphasizes that tourist guides "disseminate the image of a place and its geographical, cultural and social aspects, as well as covering practical issues such as attractions, unique characteristics, services and establishments". The tourist experience becomes much more valuable and satisfying to the visitor who is armed with the necessary information and knowledge to plan his stay in the city.
Tourist guides work with the reader's imagination, enabling the reader to make a trip even before they travel to the destination, with information about the historical context and pictures of the attractions, highlighting the services available in the region, among other information, that enables the potential tourist to plan the trip so dreamed about. And even during the trip, the guide is still a great ally of the tourist, who can consult it as needed. This corroborates with the statement of Torres (2006, p.06) that "after all, the representations of the cities presented by the media end up fixing scenes, portraying, illustrating, reproducing and synthesizing the reality of a city".
For Brown & Chalmers (2003), city guides and maps are two types of publication that are essential to tourists while visiting certain tourist destination. Communication and information are the main purposes of a tourist guide, besides promoting the destination and locality, both for potential visitors to the region, and for those already in the region.
Given the above, it is clear that there is a new type of traveler, the independent tourist, the one who "when seeking personalized services on their own, book hotels and airline tickets without the direct help of agencies, the new consumer adds more and more characteristics of an independent traveler" says Brilhante (2013, Applied Tourism ISSN: 2448-3524 https://siaiap32.univali.br/seer/index.php/ijth/index economic history. Keeping cultural heritage intact is one of the major challenges of the tourism sector. This includes minimizing the negative impacts that can occur due to lack of adequate planning and development of tourism activities. "Tourism requires spatial rearrangements, adaptation of elements and landscape reconfigurations. The influx of tourists and the adaptation of cities to the new social uses imposed by this activity focus on urban planning itself," add Carvalho, Coelho & Bonfim (2011, p. 210-211).
Enhancing the appreciation of the central areas is the greatest challenges to be faced, but based on actions aimed at ensuring protection of the historical and cultural heritage, contributions are being made towards preserving the cultural heritage for the enjoyment of future generations. According to Zanirato & Ribeiro (2006), the cultural heritage is now recognized at international, national, state and municipal levels, ensuring the preservation of tangible and intangible, cultural or natural material assets.
Thus, cultural valorization occurs from the moment that there is a greater appropriation of local history.
Highlighting the historical trajectory of the locality can help prevent cultural losses, favoring the view that the history that constitutes the place is unique, being culturally significant and able to generate a bridge between the past and the present.
Through public or private initiatives aimed at enhancing the historic centers for tourism, the cultural heritage becomes an asset of great tourist potential and invaluable historical value. In the context of the tourism consumer market, the central areas become spaces for interaction between local residents and visitors. Tourism activities redefine how the heritage is used. For example, in the Historic Center of São Luís, in the State of Maranhão: "The cultural legacy that was constituted over time gave the city the greatest title of cultural heritage of humanity, a fact that triggered a process of economic and sociocultural promotion, the effects of which can still be seen today " emphasize Carvalho & Simões (2012, p.205-206).
It is therefore important to recognize the cultural heritage in the context of promotion and economic development, because working with promotional strategies -They make detailed plans on the choice of attractions and activities within a period of around 24 hours; -They seek more detailed information on arrival at the destination; -The most influential sources in the preparation of pre -planned travel elements are printed sources, such as travel guides and brochures. Brilhante (2013, p.46) emphasizes that "as information is needed for the tourism market, the way it is offered, as well as its quality, can also make a difference when trying to cover a certain segment of travelers". The independent tourist differs from the mass tourist in that he or she is searching for authentic and unique experiences, always interacting with the local residents and the environment in which they are inserted.
Therefore, the tourist guide is an informative material, it contains information about the tourist offer: attractions, services and tourist equipment. The purpose of this material is to support the activities for tourism purposes, and it is therefore essential when it comes to promoting local tourism.

Historic centers in the context of the tourism promotion
PHistorical centers are the oldest sites of a city, a place of memories that represent the dynamics that occurred during the various phases of economic expansion of the city. In the oldest areas of the urban centers, tourists can visit monuments and other aspects of the historical and cultural heritage. It is the space that gives life to the city, maintaining its authenticity, as its cultural, artistic and historical value strengthens the city's tourist potential through its attractions and unique characteristics.
Jorge Hardoy (1986)  In the case of historical centers, it is recommended that these sites be marketed, seeking to "design a place in a way that meets the needs of their target markets" as Kotler et al., state (2007, p.148). In other words, local development occurs when an image of destination is created that attracts a specific demand. Scherer, Froemming, Fernandes & Botelho (2017, p.126) consider that in the marketing of places, the process is continuous and involves citizens, both in the public and private spheres, because the objective is the same for both spheres: to develop the local community.
The marketing of places, according to Kotler et al., (2007), associated with the marketing mix of Petrocchi

METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS
Based on Dencker (1998), the research objectives of this study were exploratory and qualitative in nature, since it investigates, in depth, the theme of tourist guides as important tools for tourism promotion; it is also descriptive, as it reports the reasons for the current situation, explaining the characteristics of the collected data.     According to Table 1  In conclusion, the nine printed tourist guides of the city of Manaus present attractions that are part of the historic center, which reinforces the importance of creating promotional material that focuses specifically for the oldest part of the city, and giving recommended routes for traveling between the attractions, and a map.
Such an initiative would be of great value for promoting the historical center and its attractions, especially the lesser-known ones, which receive fewer visits due to the lack of information about them.

The digital scenario
The tourist promotion of the Historic Center of Manaus is insufficient both in printed form, as shown by the results of our analysis above, as in digital form. It was decided to restrict this study to printed guides due to ease of access to the material, since printed guides yielded more materials for analysis than electronic media.
However, this section will briefly described the digital scenario of tourist guides of Manaus.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
In this research, the content referring to the central area of the capital of Amazonas was analyzed, and it was found that there is inadequate promotion of the The Historic Center of Manaus is the locality that presents the largest amount of cultural attractions in the city, and receives protection at federal, state and municipal levels. Even so, there are no promotional materials exclusive to the area. As a suggestion, to fill this gap, the development of more complete promotional material of the city's built cultural diversity is recommended, such as printed guides as guides and tourist maps, and also digital guides, as these will encourage people to travel to the destination.
Thus, the possibilities of developing a tourist guide that is integrated with marketing tools and techniques of heritage interpretation adds value to the material, because the objective is to promote heritage as a resource for the development of tourist activities, dedicated to valuing the visitor's experience and appreciating the place visited in a holistic way. In accordance with this article, the use of guides for the promotion of tourism in the Historic Center of Manaus is of paramount importance, bearing in mind that it should cover the historic center as a whole and not just isolated parts of it, as this would remedy the lack of published material on this specific area of great historical wealth.